Southern New Jersey Fishing Report 8-21-14

Don’t look now but we are only a week away from the unofficial end of summer. Next weekend marks Labor Day and even though it sets us to thinking where the summer went, it is also one of the best times for fishing in the Garden State from top to bottom. The water is still warm enough to target our favorite bottom fish but conditions are changing enough to open the door for some new visitors to our waters. Take a good look around and you will see that the new bait fish are gathering up for a late season charge. Most of our bays and inlets are seeing an increase in peanut bunker and mullet. Shiners and bay anchovies are making an all-out attack along the beach fronts. Crabbing is hitting its end of summer crescendo. And where there is bait in numbers, you will typically find the species of your dreams. It has been a strange season but not a bad one. Cooler water temperatures have made for some challenging outing and I suspect we may have an interesting fall. It is not unconceivable to have an earlier than usual southern migration this year so you may want to start watching the patterns as they develop. For our part, we will do our best to track movements by staying in touch with those who see conditions each and every day. Let’s see what our front line scouts have to report this week.

If you are fishing the Beach’N’Boat “Do AC” Atlantic City Edition this Weekend (Aug22nd-24th), make sure to stop by and visit Noel Felicano of One Stop Bait and Tackle at his tent on the beach. Noel is all worked up about this tournament as well he should be as the Official AC Weigh Station. Noel tells me that the bait is staged up all over the beach which means the fish should be very accommodating. I can testify that the inlet, bay a beach front is loaded with bait. Everything from tinker mackerel to huge spearing and small shiners. Anglers working the rocks and structure are getting nice tog, trigger fish and the occasional Sheepshead. Beachside, bluefish flounder and kingfish are rocking Atlantic City. One Stop will be hosting a demonstration of the new Tsunami Fishing Rod Line. Sounds like plenty to do.

Hopping up the cost a piece, there is no better fishing area than Long Beach Island and my favorite shop on the isle is Bill’s Surf and Tackle in Harvey Cedars. I contacted owner Bill Heitzman this week who tells me that there have been some excellent bluefish blitzes on the beach with the big pods of bunker moving in. There is plenty of bait lose to the shore and flounder following them. Bill suggests throwing an SS Rattletail tipped with your favorite bait for some action. Anglers targeting sharks at night have been getting a good bite with bunker baits. Brown sharks up to 6 feet have been taken this way from the beaches. In the back, blowfish are pretty much non-existent this year but blues and flounder are still rocking. There seem to be a lot of banded rudder fish in the area as well. Crabbing has stepped up to the next level.

John Yak at The Dock Outfitters in Seaside Heights reports that the best flounder fishing right now is a little north by Belmar but the local beaches have been productive. He reminds everyone that is taking advantage of the 16” special fluke off the beaches must be tagged at the entrance to Island Beach State Park or they are illegal. Sharking at night is still productive. Bluefish rule the day in both the ocean and bay but size is small to medium. John says crabbing off the docks hasn’t fully recovered from the full moon yet but if you search around, they can be had. A recent customer reported that he had an excellent day chasing blue claws in the Metedeconk bringing home 83 keepers. Now that is the definition of a fine summer feast.

Quick question. Which local head boat is the only one that features built in underwater lights that attract fish from stem to stern? If you answered The Gambler, then it’s obvious that you know your quality fishing boats. Reports coming in from the crew at the Gambler in Point Pleasant Beach say that the fluke fishing has been up and down, depending on mostly the wind but the blue fishing (Saturday nights) and night Wreck Fishing (Thursday and Friday evenings) has been the best lately. Don’t forget that the Gambler will be running some “limited Seating” Canyon trips this September and spots are quickly filling up. You can find more info at www.gamblerfishing.net.

Speaking of Point Pleasant, I touched base with John at Reel Life Bait and Tackle up there and he told me that this week has been one of the better weeks of the season. Boaters off Lavallette are reporting great fluking there in 30’ of water. Best baits there are squid, sand worms and Berkeley Gulp mullets, in that order. John informed me that the area inside the mouth of the canal is also still a prime fluking area. Anglers looking for bluefish are being directed to the Manasquan Ridge where they can troll up or jig their limit of 2-5 pound fish. Reel Life is open every day in season from 5 am to 9 pm. And if you can’t find what you are looking for there, you probably won’t be able to get it anywhere else.

Mike Jung of Peace Token B&T in Cape May Court House has heard that the flounder bite in the old Grounds and Reef Site 11 are getting more consistent but the scuttlebutt for the real hot area is the Cape May Reef. In addition to some nice keeper fluke being taken there have also been some nice mahi in that same zone. Double your fishing pleasure. Inshore, Hereford inlet seems to be the place to target kingfish on blood worms and Cape May Point is the place to go for croakers and flounder. With the Mid Atlantic 500 running this week, information on the offshore bite has been pretty secretive as most of the big game hunters are going fort the big money. But Mike hears that there have been wahoo in the Elephants Trunk and nice yellow fin Tuna at the Baltimore Canyon. Talk is that some 100pound class big eyes have been taken in the Wilmington. If you are in the area, stop in Peace Token and check the place out. You will not leave empty handed.

Curt at Absecon Bay Sportsman’s Center tells me that there is still a bounty of action to be had in the back waters and inlet of Absecon. All types of bait are in movement right now. There are peanut bunker, spearing, finger mullet, tinker mackerel and shiners just to name a few. And with that come some nice flounder, striper, trigger fish, and cocktail blues. There have even been some reports of weakfish in the area but only a few confirmed landings. Crabbing in the shallows has ranged from good to great and will only get better as we move further away from the last moon. On the Brigantine and AC beaches, fluke kingfish and small blues rule the daytime bite. After dark, you can search the suds for some nice sharks which are still taking bunker or bluefish chunks. Captain Dave Showell will be opening his doors early (5am) from Friday through Sunday for those of you taking part in the DO AC tourney.

Captain’s Ken Keller and Matt Sosnowski of the Norma K III in Point Pleasant are confident that the rough hump we have been riding over most of the summer is behind us. Fishing in the area has definitely moved up to a better stage. Fish (fluke) in the 3-5 pound range have been the norm with pool winners exceeding those numbers. Anglers using squid, spearing and green Gulp mullets on bucktails have been the top producers. Night blues fishing has also stepped up to the challenge with 8-12 pound yellow eyed monsters not uncommon visitors to the decks of the boat. The Norma K III does two bottom fishing trips daily (8am and 2pm) and adds a night trip for blues in the evening.

John at Fishermen’s Supply In Point Pleasant is always a wealth of information for the local scene, both inshore and offshore. This week he told me that they have had a rush of Fly guys in the bay and canal, nailing some nice striped bass. Which pattern they are using is a big secret but match the hatch always works. Plenty of shiners and peanuts in the area if that is of any help. Anglers looking for their one blackfish in the canal are doing well. Fluking in the area is decent but throwbacks to keepers are about 8 to 1 right now. Reef anglers out front are doing somewhat better. Offshore, John recommends the Hudson or the 100 Square as this week’s target for tuna, mahi and some whites. There has been some action on football sized Bluefin tuna in Little Italy. Mahi can be had almost anywhere you find debris or pots. Fish up to 20 pounds seem to be normal this year. If you are looking towards really deep water, John mentioned that golden tile fishing has been about as strong as it gets. Before I got off the phone with him, John told me that they just received a batch of the new Bomber Longshot lures. Designed for the long caster with 4x saltwater hooks, I need to try one of these babies out. Save a few for me John.

Lenny Hahn at Capt’n Hippo’s Bait and Tackle in Toms River informs when his customers are looking for a day of action on the water; he hooks them up with some of his custom tied “Lance-it” rigs and puts them out for snapper and Taylor blue fish which are filling the river and the bay. If toothy fish aren’t your cup of tea, Lenny suggests crabbing which has been excellent in the area. Fluking in the bay is still good but the throw back ration is near ten, not uncommon for this time of year. Lenny also mentioned that there were finally some reports of blowfish south of the Rte. 37 Bridge but did not know if they were there in numbers. Stop in and check out the new line of “Capt’n Hippo” t-shirts if you are in the area. Very stylish!

In Ocean City, the place to go for anything fishing is most definitely Fin-Atics Marine Supply on West Ave. From bait and tackle to rental kayaks, they have it all. And their staff there is a bottomless pit of local fishing information. This week, John at the shop tells me it has been the wreck and reef areas if you are looking for the “hot bite”. The GE reef has been holding some nice fish just on the perimeter. The OC Reef has had some good days and some great days. Top baits right now include Big Gulp Grubbs and strip baits of all kinds. On the beach, the south end has been the top producer. King fish, flounder and small to medium bluefish dominate the surf. In the back and inlet, there are still plenty of flounder and snapper blues seem to be in every nook and cranny, including the new fishing piers off the causeway. Plugging the sod banks at first or last light, especially with a tide change, will give you the opportunity for some good striped bass action. Top water plugs like a Stillwater Lures “Smack it” or a Bomber Long A are a must there. And don’t forget the blue claw crab scene. Go to the parkway bridge off the Patcong and fill a basket up.

Time to put the dog out.

There is still time to get the family out for a day on the water if you are in the Ocean City /Somers Point area. Just head over to Bay Avenue and jump on the Duke O’Fluke and let Captain Brooke Koenke and his crew escort you around Greater Egg Harbor in search of flounder and other local sea denizens. The Duke sails twice daily and the 45’ pontoon boat with rest room and free bait is the easiest way to take advantage of some On the Water fishing opportunities.

Team Tackle Direct is bust as the proverbial bumble bee with their new fishing show but that doesn’t stop some of them from hitting the water in search of big game. GM Ed Berger tells us that the southern canyons are loaded with yellow fin tuna and the occasional big eye. Big Ed went 16 for 21 on yellows this week and boated a few eyes in the 100# range. White marlin and wahoo have also made a strong showing in the zone. TD’s new fishing show; Fish Mavericks (Wednesday at 10/9c NBC Sports) is running a contest to show off your fishing skills. Check it out at- http://a.pgtb.me/fK3Jm .

High Roller Pontoon Bat in AC will be running 2 trips daily from Gardiners Basin through the end of summer and flounder season. If you are in the AC area for the day and looking for a change of action, Absecon Bay and High Roller can provide it. Bait is provided and rental rods are available. All you need to bring is yourself.

Don’t know if there are still seats available but the Mimi VI In Point Pleasant has several deep water canyon trips on the schedule in the next couple of weeks. These are open boat rips and limited to 10 -12 anglers. For more information, go to http://mimivi.com/deal.php

This is the last weekend of 2 a day trips on the Carolyn Ann III in Barnegat Light. As of August 29th she will switch to one six hour bottom fishing trip daily. Fluke fishing has been good lately with pool winners all breaching the five pound mark. Now is the time to get the family out on the water for some great fishing action and the Carolyn Ann III and Captain Hammarstrom and the crew are there to help you make some great summer memories.

Best Bets for the Weekend

With Labor Day almost upon us, I would be remiss if I didn’t remind you to give a shout out to all those who have helped us throughout the summer in our quest for fish. These guys and gals go the extra mile for us all season long, many working six and seven days a week to assist us. So if you get the chance, let them know that you appreciate their efforts. And with that being said, I would definitely look at some bottom fishing this weekend. Early reports have some clouds and possibly a touch of rain into Saturday but nothing that the fish should notice. We seem to be falling into the pattern we should be in by this time of year and maybe a little better on the flat fish front. Beach or boat, that is where the best chance of success lies. There are also nice bluefish in almost every area of our zone and crabbing is also reaching its apex. There is tons of bait in the water and good bait almost always translates into good fishing. Keep them or throw them back, your choice. Just stay safe out there and have fun. Fishing is about having fun, first and foremost. See you on the incoming.